WestJet

WestJet has announced the appointment of Captain Jeffrey (Jeff) Martin to the position of chief operating officer.

Martin will join WestJet on Sept. 24, subject to Canadian immigration approval.

“Jeff is a highly accomplished aviation executive and an outstanding addition to our team,” said Ed Sims, WestJet president and CEO. “As WestJet continues to transform into a global airline, Jeff’s extensive international experience will help ensure our continued success.”

Reporting to Sims, Martin will oversee more than 11,000 WestJetters in WestJet’s Flight Operations (including the Operational Control Centre), Guest Experience (Contact Centre and Inflight), Airports, Technical (Maintenance) Operations, Continuous Improvement, and the business strategy and execution of WestJet Encore.

Martin brings more than 28 years of commercial aviation and operational experience to WestJet. He comes from JetBlue, where he most recently served as executive vice-president of Operations, responsible for Technical Operations, System Operations, Safety, Security, Flight Operations, Training and Regulatory Compliance for the sixth largest airline in the S. Prior to that he spent 22 years at Southwest Airlines, where he began his commercial career as a pilot, and took on various leadership roles, eventually serving as vice-president of the Operations Coordination Centre.